


Courage

by Evanaissante



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bisexual Ginny Weasley, Career Ending Injuries, Disabled Character, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Ginny in a wheelchair, Pansexual Luna Lovegood, Physical Disability, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Pre-Relationship, School Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 15:05:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17327243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evanaissante/pseuds/Evanaissante
Summary: It's been four years since the Battle of Hogwarts and a lot of things have changed for Ginny Weasley. She's no longer dating Harry, or playing Quidditch, or for that matter, she's not even walking. And it sucks, it truly does, but it sucks less when Luna smiles at her just a little.





	Courage

**Author's Note:**

> hi, did you ask for a sad story with a hopeful ending about ginny in a wheelchair, post breakup with harry and maybe in love with luna? no? toooo bad, because you're getting it.  
> so yes, this story came to me for no reason at all and i like it a lot so i decided to post it. i also don't see many ginny centric fics and that sucks because ginny deserves love and biscuits.  
> as always when i write something the ron/harry/hermione couple can only be seen as platonic if you prefer but they could totally also be dating. i hope you enjoy this!
> 
> ps : english is not my first language, if you see any mistake, let me know!

It's a warm night, the type that sticks to your skin and overwhelms you with its humitidy. The air is damp and the sky is still changing from orange to pink, to finally settle on a dark blue. It's been four years since the war, exactly four years, but Ginny can still see the cracks made by unforgivable curses in the marble of Hogwarts' staircase. The Great Hall has been lit up with fairy lights, actual fairy lights, not only the kind that her father would pick up in Muggles' garbage and they try to light up in their garage.

Ginny is not expecting much from tonight, she's painfully sober, which is something she'll just have to change in the course of the night, and she knows for a fact that she won't enjoy most of the conversations she will have tonight. Since the war, since that particular night that had been just as warm, just as damp and just as sticky, no one knows how to speak to her, not even her brothers. Maybe it's because of how terribly silent the house is now that George is a solo act. Or maybe it's because she can't walk. Either way, it makes family dinners awkward and painful.

She wheels towards the buffet table, and more importantly towards the punch bowl, when she sees her brother, Ron, with Harry and Hermione. They're still inseparable, joined at the hip, even though the years were not kind to them and they have sometimes been even meaner to each other. She tries to not be jealous of their easy understanding, of their unbreakable bond, but it's hard when her own bond with Harry was so easily broken. She doesn't hate him, she could never, but she resented the fact that he could never see past her useless legs and the guilt that brought him. She hates the fact that he told her goodbye only to go live with Ron and Hermione, even though they're as scarred as she is, even more. But their scars haven't destroyed their dreams or careers and she guesses that Harry can accept that, he can live with the scar that splits Ron's top lip in two and the long pale one on Hermione's neck.

He can live with that, but he can't live with  _her_.

She's not bitter, she's not. She's just tired of people staring at her and whispering, every time she passes them by, " _Haven't you heard about the Weasley girl? She tried to save a first year during the war and took a spell to the spine. Poor kid, she was a great Quidditch player._ " She's tired of their hypocritical pity, she was a monster when she was beautiful, confident Ginny Weasley who rode a broom and dated as many guys as she wanted. She was a slut, someone not good enough for the great Harry Potter, but now that her two legs don't work, she's that  _poor poor Ginny Weasley_ _,_ _did you know that one of her brothers died and the other one was scratched by a werewolf?_

"Hey," She hears behind her, and she doesn't need to turn her wheelchair around to recognise that voice.

"Hey Luna, I'm happy to see you." And she actually is. There's no denying it, if there is one person in this room Ginny is actually thrilled to talk to, it's Luna Lovegood.

"You look sad, no wait, angry," Luna adds because she could never leave well enough alone, that's part of what makes her charm.

"I don't want to be here."

"That's too bad." Luna says, it's funny how she hasn't changed much, how her voice is still soft like silk and her eyes are still deep likes the ocean. "I didn't really want to come either, but Neville said he had a big announcement and I didn't want to miss it."

Ginny snorts, "Bigger than when he told us that he found a way to grow gillyweed in his bathtub?"

"He looked really happy." And that's always enough of an answer for Luna, which is fair because if you weren't as grumpy as Ginny Weasley, you'd usually find it pretty neat to know that one of your closest friends is happy.

"Then I'm glad." She takes a sip of her well-deserved punch and tries not to notice how big Harry's smile is when Ron's arm wraps him closely. She doesn't want to make assumptions, because she's not a tosspot and she wants her brother to be happy, but she wonders if she ever had a chance with Harry, if he hadn't been Ron and Hermione's from the start. She doesn't know if she's seeing it right, because she can't really imagine her own brother in a three-way relationship, but she'd also rather imagine that than face the fact that Harry didn't love her as much as she loved him.

"You're still sad about Harry," Luna says, making Ginny jump a little in surprise. "The Nargles around your head stare at him a lot."

Ginny sighs because it's always a painful conversation when it's about Harry, "It's just... I didn't really expect us to get married and have three kids, you know? But I expected more. We had been on and off again, because of the war and everything, but I hoped that once it was over, we could think about our future."

"But he didn't want to," Completed Luna.

"But he didn't want to." And it hurts, to admit it, to look into herself and know that she's just a shadow of the fierce girl she was when Harry fell in love with her, and that's why he didn't stay. It's not because of Ron, or Hermione, it's because of her. "He blames himself for what happened to me," She continues, and she knows that Luna has already heard all of this, they're best friends for Merlin's sake, but she can't stop. "He thinks that if I hadn't been in love with him, I wouldn't have been on the battlefield, I wouldn't have gotten hurt, and I wouldn't be like this." She slaps her left leg violently, but she doesn't feel any pain.

Luna doesn't flinch, she doesn't seem shocked either. She might still look like an innocent flower, but she's seen as much horror as all of them and if the world forgets it, Ginny never does.

"He's right," Luna says as she takes a small sandwich, the type that is cut in triangles and is always filled with cottage cheese and cucumbers.

Ginny almost chokes on her drink, "What?!"

"He's right, if you hadn't been in love with him, you wouldn't have wanted to fight as much." She smiles, "You would have, of course, because that's who you are, but you wouldn't have jumped into it with so much intensity. You were in love, and love makes us do dangerous things."

"I didn't lose my legs because of Harry." Ginny almost growls. "I'm the one who tried to shield a kid with my own body, he didn't make me do it."

"You didn't lose your legs." Luna moves forward only to lay a gentle hand on Ginny's lap, "You still have your legs, and no, Harry didn't force you to protect that child. You did that on your own, Ginny."

"So I'm an idiot who just happened to be in love, great."

Luna laughs a little, and it's soft, like the caress of a feather. "No, that's not what I meant. I don't think you would have been so hurt if Harry hadn't been involved, and maybe it wouldn't have changed anything to your life, you'd have fought but you'd been safe." She pauses to twist her necklace, a purple and pink wine cork, between her long fingers. "But that first year would have been dead."

No one ever expects Luna to talk about death, the world sees her as a fool with too many crazy ideas, too much creativity and weird stories to tell. But Luna was the first one in Ginny's circle to see thestrals. She'd always been comfortable with mortality, it was almost recomforting.

"I'll never fly again," Ginny whispers because she doesn't know what else to say because she's been feeling sorry for herself for four years and she doesn't know how to go back.

"Maybe," Luna takes another bite of her sandwich, "Or maybe your brothers will find a way to make you a broom able to keep you safe and still fly like any other. And maybe you'll walk again, we never know. But if you hadn't jumped that night, that little boy would have died, that's the only thing I'm sure of."

"It was stupid of me."

"No," She smiles again, "It was a very brave, very Gryffindor thing to do."

Ginny smiles too, "And you're very wise tonight, Miss Ravenclaw."

"I've always been wise," Luna says. "People just never noticed."

They stay silent for a while, enjoying each other's presence while eating the food Hogwarts had gracefully provided for this students' reunion. Ginny lets herself try one of the strange and smelly meatballs Luna seems so fond of and they both forget their gloomy conversation when Luna almost spits out the punch because of its alcohol content. They're weirdly happy together, they don't need to talk or laugh to feel like they belong, it makes Ginny feel safe. Their peace is suddenly broken by a very sweaty and breathless Neville running their way and waving, it's both ridiculous and amusing.

"There you are," He breathes, "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Neville," Ginny sighs, "We're always near the food. It's a basic rule."

"How could I forget," He replies with a smile, but it isn't an  _I'm so happy to see my friends_ smile, it's a much more intense smile.

"What did you want to tell us, Neville?" Luna asks kindly, she sees to already know by the look in her eyes, but Ginny is never sure with her.

"Well... You know that I've become friends with Hannah Abbott, after the war and everything?"

They'd known, mostly because Neville couldn't stop writing about her, and her beautiful eyes, and her beautiful smile, and her beautiful  _everything_  for that matter. He had been terribly in love with her without even being conscious of it, it was sickening.

"Yes, we're aware," Ginny replies, and it takes everything of her to not roll her eyes fondly.

"The thing is, I didn't really tell you because there was that thing with Harry, and Rolf always leaving on dangerous trips. " He looks nervous in a way Ginny hasn't seen in over six years.

"You can tell us, Neville, we're your friends." Luna presses, she doesn't even look fazed by that comment about Scamander, who basically abandoned her when they had started to be serious and if Ginny ever crosses his path again, he'll taste a few spells of her own making.

"Hannah and I... we've been dating," Neville whispers, almost like he's revealing something particularly scandalous.

"We know." Ginny and Luna say together. It makes Neville blink several times before he opens his mouth slightly in shock.

"How did you... Never mind, that's not what I wanted to say, " He pauses, purely for dramatic effect, "We're getting married."

Ginny and Luna stare at each other for a second, unable to fake surprise, but trying anyway. "That's amazing, Neville. Congratulations." With anyone else, it would work. But Neville knows them both too well.

"You already knew! How? I didn't even tell Ron yet!"

"Augusta sent me a letter." Luna answers, "She wanted to know if I would help Hannah with the flowers."

"Luna told me," Ginny replies because there's really no point in hiding it.

Neville throws himself on a chair, defeated, he doesn't look disappointed or sad, just done. But he still looks happy and Ginny wonders if that's what true love does, keeping you happy even when life doesn't go your way. She looks at Luna, at how she comforts Neville with an embrace and gives him a sandwich. It must feel like that.

"Anyway, you're obviously both invited and I'm sure Hannah wouldn't mind if we included you in the wedding. I know you're not the closest friends, but I'd be really happy if you were bridesmaids."

"I'd be really happy too!" Luna exclaims.

"You'll get an invite soon enough, and you're allowed a plus one because that's usually how it works, but Harry will get his own invite, Ginny, in case you were wondering."

She wasn't wondering, she actually hadn't thought about Harry for the past hour, and it isn't because of the punch. She's staring at Luna's butterfly clips and her matching earrings.

She won't need a plus one if she does this right. And she isn't thinking of Harry as her date.


End file.
